The present system and method disclosed herein relate to a display device, and more particularly, to a method of operating a backlight unit and a display device including the backlight unit.
A display device generally includes a display panel displaying an image, and a gate driving unit and a data driving unit driving a display panel. The display panel includes a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixels connected to the gate and data lines. The gate lines receive gate signals from the gate driving unit. The data lines receive data signals from the data driving unit. The pixels receive the data signals through the data lines in response to the gate signals provided through the gate lines. The pixels display grayscales corresponding to the voltage levels (hereinafter “data voltages”) of the received data signals. As a result, an image is displayed.
Additionally, the display device includes a backlight unit providing light to the display panel. The backlight unit, as a light source generating light, may include a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) or a light emitting diode (LED).
If the backlight unit includes an LED, a converter driven by DC current may be required to drive the LED. For example, the backlight unit may include a DC-DC converter that receives a low DC voltage and outputs a high DC voltage for driving the LED. In such case, when the LED is damaged, the backlight unit may need to include a protective device for cutting off the electric current being provided to the LED.